Editorial

Citation

Bajer, J. (2016), "Editorial", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 241-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-09-2016-0088

Dear Colleague,

Leading HR Strategy is becoming more interesting these days, is it not? Many of us have been adapting our organisations, so they are “millennial friendly” and now have to do the same for the other end of the spectrum: our “ageing” talent.

Many organisations are realizing the precious value they have in those employees who are near retirement and are discovering new ways to re-engage with them for longer. The “first-in-first-out” model of employment does not make much sense in today’s economy. Wisdom, network, trust and deep understanding of the business should not be easily disposed of, as everyone loses. Instead, we should be re-thinking our engagement models, satisfying emerging needs of our “ageing” workforces (i.e. flexibility) helping them remain as part of the team.

These are a few articles we have selected, which I hope inspire you as you create your own strategy and avoid losing so many years of experience.

In How Workplace Financial Education Can Benefit Your Employees, Darren Laverty offers insights, and a case study example from global tech firm Oracle, into the importance of financial education for a workforce looking ahead to retirement – in the near and long term.

In Retaining Older Employees is a Smart Business Move, Robert Perrin highlights the numerous long-term problems that result from the short-term cost-cutting measure of laying off older employees and stresses the wisdom in retaining these workers and their valuable experience and institutional knowledge.

In How Generational Differences Will Impact America’s Aging Workforce: Strategies for Dealing with Aging Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers, Ann Fishman provides strategies for companies to address Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers from a generational point of view, enabling these employees to perform at their peak regardless of age.

In Tailoring Your Benefits Strategy for an Aging Workforce – and Why it’s Good for Business, Andrew Frend looks specifically at employee benefits and how companies can adapt their programs to accommodate, recruit and maintain an experienced and talented aging workforce.

You might need to challenge some of your organisation’s traditional mental models, but the rationale is very simple: our organisations need both – fresh thinking and a memory of what was already learned – so we do not go around in circles.

I hope you enjoy the reading.

Warm regards,

Dr Javier Bajer

Editor-in-Chief

Strategic HR Review